Oscar night to have something for everyone, producers say

February 04, 2013|Reuters

By Jill Serjeant

BEVERLY HILLS, Feb 4 (Reuters) - With a high five from9-year-old actress Quvenzhane Wallis, and a pledge that Oscarnight will have something for everyone, the Academy Awardskicked into high gear on Monday at a luncheon for more than 160nominees.

"Beasts of the Southern Wild" newcomer Wallis, the youngestactress ever to be nominated in the lead actress category,slapped hands with Academy of Motion Picture Arts and SciencesPresident Hawk Koch as her name was called to join her peers forthe annual photo ahead of the Feb. 24 ceremony.

"Argo" producer-director Ben Affleck, riding high after hisIran hostage thriller took its third major award at the weekend,shrugged off being overlooked in the Best Director Oscarshortlist.

Craig Zadan and Neil Meron - who will be producing thethree-hour Academy Award telecast for the first time - saidperformances by Barbra Streisand, Adele and Norah Jones, alongwith special tributes to Hollywood musicals and 50 years ofJames Bond movies, should give the ceremony wide appeal.

The popularity of many of the nine Best Picture nomineesshould also help bring in big audiences at home and abroad, theysaid.

"It has been a great year for movies. The movies are verycompetitive and they have done great box office. So we feelthere is more interest this year than perhaps previous years, "Zadan said.

"Life of Pi," "Lincoln," "Argo," and "Django Unchained" havemade more than $150 million each so far at the North Americanbox office alone, while "Silver Linings Playbook" and "Zero DarkThirty" have grossed more than $70 million each.

Last year's Best Film winner, black and white silent movie"The Artist," took just $44.7 million at the box office in theUnited States and Canada, even after the boost from its fiveOscars.

Zadan and Meron reminded the nominees that the Oscartelecast was seen by an estimated one billion people in morethan 200 countries, and urged them to keep their acceptancespeeches short and sweet.

"Please speak from the heart and not from a piece of paper,"Zadan told the nominees. "Be remembered for eloquence andpassion."